The Path of Flames

If you’re looking for an epic fantasy with a fascinating and unique cosmology, The Path of Flames by Phil Tucker is the book for you. This is a novel with traditional set pieces (knights, castles, witches) set in a truly unique world. The first novel in a series, The Path of Flames sets the stage very well for what is certain to be a gripping story.

For me, the single greatest standout aspect of this book is the worldbuilding, specifically the cosmology. In this world, there are various planes of existence that are connected via solar gates. Each plane is named after the major city on that plane. Travel is possible through these gates, and the religious system is tied strongly into the belief that one “ascends” from the lower planes upward toward the highest planes and eventually through the White Gate. Conversely, the Black Gate waits below the lowest plane to claim the souls of those deemed particularly unworthy; presumably this gate opens into the equivalent of hell. This is so unique. While some of the planes touch upon one another and can be traveled to without gates, most require moving through a gate. I really enjoyed this unique way of organizing the cosmology of the world. Tucker has come up with something quite unique, and the belief in reincarnation and the way that it plays into the relationships between people from different planes is really fascinating. The novel is worth reading just for this worldbuilding, but there are also characters that are well fleshed out. I particularly enjoyed Kethe’s growth, though several of the other viewpoint characters have worthy—if unfinished—arcs in this first book.

Not everything worked for me, unfortunately. There were some typos throughout the manuscript that could probably be eliminated with another proof read. These weren’t egregious, but there were enough that I felt it worth mentioning. More importantly, two characters receive a power up near the end of the novel. One of them I felt was foreshadowed and explained well. The other character’s power up sort of came out of left field for me. I still don’t understand the “why” behind that character’s power up. While I’m sure more will be explained in subsequent books, it was a bit jarring in this book. There is also a little bit of sudden, unexpected attraction between two characters near the end of the novel that is similarly not well foreshadowed or explained. I think this can be summed up by saying that I felt the character development felt a little jarring, especially in the final third of the book.

The Path of Flames isn’t a perfect novel, but it is a lot of fun. If you’re looking for epic fantasy where empires hang in the balance, this series is for you. Flames makes some great promises and sets the board well. I look forward to getting the second book in the series to the top of my TBR. 4/5 stars.

5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – I liked it, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing